Method of and apparatus for reshaping shoes



April 14, 1942- F. DE CIURTIS ETAL 2,279,304

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR IKE-SHAPING SHOES Filed Oct. 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v A ril 14, 1942. F. DE CURTIS ET AL 7 METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR RIB-SHAPING SHOES Filed Oc t. 1, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 AA L r, eh, Gnu. m

Patented Apr. 14, 1942 uuirso stares. rarest orrics METHOD or AND APPARATUS FOR RESHAPING srrons Frank De Curtis, Queens Village, and Felix De Vito, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application October 1, 1940, Serial No. 359,208

6 Claims.

that will fit Well all feet of a given size. Consei quently it frequently happens that a shoe of proper length and width for a certain foot may gap at the sides and be too loose at the heel though fitting well in other respects. It is an object ofthe present invention to cure such difficulties by shrinking and re-shaping the quarters so that the length of the binding or top edge of the quarter is reduced and the shoe hugs the heel and sides of the foot. This is accomplished,

according to the invention, by suitably crowding l the upper margins of the quarters of the shoe and applying heat to the quarters, while so crowded, so as to shrink and re-shape the shoe.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawings of which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a rear end elevation of the same.

Figure 4 is a sectional View on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line i5--6 of Figure 4.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a shoe before a re-shaping operation.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the same shoe after re-shaping.

The invention may be embodied in apparatus which, as shown, may comprise a base ID from which rises three standards l2, M, is to support a U-shaped member in an approximately horizontal position. This U-shaped member is a shaper which is adapted to be engaged by the upper portion of the quarters of a shoe to be reshaped. To this end, the inner surfaces of the member 20 are made smooth and are formed so as to converge upwardly as indicated in Figure 4. A small lug 2i is provided at the top of the shaper 20 at the curved end to act as a stop to prevent a shoe which is pressed into the shaper from below from rising. above the upper edge thereof. The standard It is secured to the rear end of the shaper 26, the standards [2 and I4 being secured at points near its forward ends, all three of the supports being attached to the outside of the shaper so as to leave the inclined inner surfaces unobstructed. The standards I2 and M are preferably tubular. Within these tubes are a pair of rods 22 and 24 to the lower ends of which is secured a crosshead 26 to support a pad 28; The rods, crosshead and pad move up and down as a unit, the pad 28 being adapted to engage under the arch of a shoe I inserted in the apparatus so as to support the shoe in engagement with the inner surfaces of the shaper 29. Within the tubular standards I2 and l t a pair of compression springs 30 and 32 may be inserted below the rods 22 and 24, these springs being adapted to push the pad 28 upward against the arch of a shoe in the apparatus.

' A setscrew 34 With a wing head may be employed to be set up against the rod 22 as indicated in Figure 4 so as to secure the pad 28 in any position of adjustment.

Means is also provided for exerting rearward pressure against the breast of the heel of a shoe in the apparatus so as to push the quarters up against the inner surfaces of the shaper 20. Such means may comprise a pair of parallel horizontal rods 36 and 38 extending slidably through the crosshead 26 as indicated in Figure 4. These rods are joined by a cross-rod 40 which is shaped to bear against the concave breast surface of a shoe heel. The rod 38 is provided with a rearward extension 42 which is shaped to pass through a slot 44 in the standard l6 as indicated in Figure 3. The rear extremity of the extension may be threaded as at 46 "to receive a nut 48 carrying a crank 50 by which the nut can be conveniently and rapidly rotated on the threaded portion 45 of the extension 42. The extension 42 is also provided with a collar '52 and a compression spring 54 between the collar 52 and'the standard It, this spring serving to press the rods 36 and 38 and their crosshead 4i! forward.

The apparatus thus far described is adapted to receive a shoe and to operate upon the shoe in such a manner as to gather and crowd the upper portions of the quarters of the shoe in a manner hereinafter explained. Means is also provided for pressing against the inner surfaces of the quarters of a shoe thus held and for applying heat to such surfaces. As shown, the heating and pressing device may include a pair of members and 62 suitably shaped to conform to the inner surfaces of the shaper 20. Thus when the heating and pressing device is brought to bear against the inner surfaces of the quarters of a shoe supported in the apparatus, there is a uniformly distributed pressure on the portions of the upper between the surfaces of the members 60, 62 and the opposed inner surfaces of the shaper 20 which rigidly support the upper margins of the quarters. Heat may be supplied to the members 60 and 62 by any suitable means such as electrical units 64 which may be connected by suit:

The thumbscrew 92 is then tightened to secure surfaces of the sides of the quarters. In some able wires 66 to a source of electricity. "The" members 66 and 62 are movabletoward' each other for convenience in inserting the pressing device within the shoe. Whenthe device has been inserted, the members 60 and 62 are laterally moved apart so as to cause them to press against the inner surfaces of the shoe quarters. To this end a rotatable shaft 10 having a knurled fingerpiece 1| thereon is provided with a right and left hand screw thread, these threaded portions of the shaft being in engagement with internally threaded ears 12 and 14 which extend upward from the members 60 and 62 respectively. Be-

tween the ears l2 and M is a supporting lever 80" through which the shaft 10 passes. A pin 82 also passes through the lever 80 and the cars 12 and M to prevent rocking movement of the lever relative to the members 60 and 62. The lever 80 passes through a horizontal cylinder 84 which is supported on a horizontal platform 86. This platform is a part of a bracket 88 which extends outward from a sleeve 90. The sleeve is slidably adjustable on the vertical rod 22 and is secured in adjusted position thereon by suitable means such as a thumbscrew 92. The cylinder 84 has an extension 94 projecting through a slot 96 in an upstanding flange 98 in the platform 86. The platform 86 is likewise slotted at I08 to permit a limited freedom of movement of the cylinder 84 in the forward and rearward direction.

The operation of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows. A shoe which is or has become ill-fitting by'reason of excessive looseness at the heel and gaping at the sides is placed in position with the, upper portion of its quarters immediately beneath the shaper 20. The archsupporting pad 28 is released by loosening the thumb screw 34 and permitting the springs 30 and 32 to press the pad 28 against the arch of the shoe. When a shoe is thus supported in position, the thumbscrew 34 is set up to secure the arch-supporting pad 28 in place. The crank 50 then rotated in a direction to draw the crossbar 40 rearwardly against the heel breast. Continued rotation of thecrank 50 results in rearward pressure against the heel breast which causes the shoe to rock on the pad 28 as a fulcrum as the quarters of the shoe are pressed upwardly against the converging inner surfaces of the shaper 28. The convergence of these surfaces results in a tendency on the part of the upper portions of the quarters to gather. The extent of this operation in any particular case will depend upon the amount of shrinking of the quarters which is desired by the operator. When the gathering step has been completed to the satisfaction of the operator, the heating and pressing device is then inserted in the shoe. Prior to insertion of this device the shaft 10 is rotated to bring the members 60 and 62' toward each other so as to facilitate their entry into the shoe. The thumbscrew 92' that the bracket 88 can be lowered, the heating device thus being also lowered into the shoe.

is then released so cases it may be desirable to employ moisture in the pressing operation. The moisture may be introduced in any of the well known ways, for

example, by sponging the interior of the shoe immediately prior to the introduction of the heating and pressing device. The heat and pressure from the members 68 and 62 shrink the quarters and shape them against the shaper 20, so that after a few minutes of such treatment, the heating and pressing device may be removed from the interior of the shoe, and the shoe may be removed from the apparatus.

The effect of such treatment upon a shoe such as illustrated in Figure 7 is to shorten the top edge of the quarters, bend forward the upper portion of the shoe upper at the heel end so as to cause the shoe to cling to the heel of the wearer more effectively, and to push inward the gapping sides of the quarters so that the sides of the foot will be hugged by the quarters of the shoe. 7

It is evident that various modifications and changes may be made in the embodiments of the invention herein illustrated and described without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as defined in the following claims.

What we claim is:

1. A method of shrinking and re-shaping the quarters of a shoe, which comprises gathering and crowding the upper margins of said quarters by inwardly directed pressure againstthe outer surface thereof while the inner surfaces are. unsupported, thereafter applying heat and outward pressure against the inner surface of said upper margins, and rigidly supporting the outer surfaces of said upper margins while said outward pressure is applied.

2. Apparatus for shrinking and re-shaping the quarters of shoes, comprising a yoke-shaped member having inner converging surfaces adapted to be engaged by the upper portion of the, quarters of a shoe, means for forcing a shoe upwardly against said inner surfaces so that the upper margins of the quarters are gathered and crowded, and means for applying heat and pressure to the inner surfaces of said gathered quarters.

3. Apparatus for shrinking and re-shaping the quarters of shoes, which comprises a yoke-shaped member having inner surfaces converging upwardly and adapted to be engaged by the quarters of a shoe, an adjustable arch support spaced beneath said member, means for applying pressure to the heel breast of a shoe resting on said arch support whereby to press the quarters against the converging, inner surfaces of said member, and means for applying heat and pressure to the inner surfaces of said quarters.

4..Apparatus for shrinking and re-shaping the .quarters of shoes, which comprises a U-shaped member disposed in an approximately horizontal position and having inner upwardly converging surfaces adapted to be engaged by the quarters of a shoe, a pair of standards secured to opposite sides of said member for the support thereof, an arch support vertically slidable on said standards below said member and adapted to engage under the arch of a shoe in position to be operated upon, means for securing said arch support in adjusted position, means for pressing against the heel breast of said shoe whereby to force the quarters upward against said converging surfaces, and means for applying heat and pressure within said shoe.

5. Apparatus for shrinking and re-shaping the quarters of a shoe, which comprises a U-shaped member having inner converging surfaces adapted to be engaged by the quarters of a shoe, means for supporting said member in an approximately horizontal position, said support means including a pair of standards spaced from the heel end of said member, an arch support vertically slidable on said standards to engage under the arch of a shoe in position to be operated on, spring means pressing said arch support upward, means for securing said arch'support in adjusted position, means for pressing against the heel breast of said shoe whereby to press said quarters against said converging surfaces, and means for applying heat and pressure to the interior of said shoe.

6. Apparatus for shrinking and re-shaping the quarters of shoes, which comprises a U-shaped shaping member having converging inner surfaces adapted to be engaged by the quarters of a shoe, a vertically adjustable arch support beneath said shaping member, and means for pressing against the breast of a shoe supported on said arch support, said means including a cross-rod adapted to bear against the breast of said shoe, an extension from said cross-rod projecting rearwardly behind the heel of said shoe, and means for exerting a rearward pull on said extension and cross-rod whereby to rock theshoe on said support and press the upper margins of the quarters against said converging surfaces.

FRANK DE CURTIS.

FELIX DE VITO. 

